Christian Cook's Column January 20, 2002

Teach Youth Players Skills and Enthusiasm

Christian Cook Defends Casey Powell; Powell did not score a goal on Cook in the 2001 MLL Season

First of all, I’d like to express my thanks to Gerald Goulder for asking me to write this bi-monthly column for YouthlacrosseUSA. We recently spent some time in Philadelphia for the US Lacrosse convention and the support was overwhelming. Not only were players, coaches and fans excited about youthlacrosseusa.com, but the enthusiasm in favor of expansion of lacrosse both domestically and overseas was tangible. I’d like to dedicate my first column to the following topic: “How coaches should approach developing their players—for the players’ long term enjoyment of and involvement in the sport of lacrosse.”

In my experience, I’ve found that many coaches place too much emphasis on short-term success. The short-term success of a team or of a player should NEVER come at the expense of the players’ long-term enjoyment of and involvement in the sport of lacrosse. I am a big believer in teaching young players the skills they need to perfect in order to be successful at the highest levels of lacrosse. In other words, when players get into bad habits in youth leagues, summer leagues or in high school, that is the most important time to correct those deficiencies. Often coaches overlook bad habits if the outcome is positive – example: youth players who have poor footwork but great checks will be successful until they play at the next level (i.e. middle school to high school; high school to college). Furthermore, solid offensive/defensive systems are necessary at all levels of play. Younger players who are not taught to communicate and to play a coordinated system will suffer at the highest levels.

My advice to youth coaches across the country is to focus on skills that will serve players well as they develop into better lacrosse players, while not forgetting the short-term success of their team. I understand that there is a tough balance to be found between short-term success and nurturing skills for the long-term. Clearly, if a coach focused only on the future, immediate success may be hard to come by. Nobody wants to lose, and younger players who lose a lot may be deterred from playing the game in the future. It is a tough balancing act. I think this is part of why it is difficult to find great coaches. I have the greatest respect for coaches at all levels. They have the best intentions and embark on the tough job of shaping today’s youth into tomorrow’s great athletes, thinkers and people.